


this is what time and patience can do

by jennycaakes



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Summer, Summer Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 12:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11509950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennycaakes/pseuds/jennycaakes
Summary: Madge doesn't like the idea of getting into a relationship with her co-worker. Summer camp is hard enough without having Gale Hawthorne distracting her.title from "Summer Camp Love (is so in tents!)" my MC Lars, which is the best camp song ever thanks and goodbye





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote these like, two years ago? And finally decided to transfer them to here because like, consistency, or whatever. Enjoy!

Madge blinked back into focus, the world of color swimming before her spinning head, she realized she was reclining. Someone was holding her securely in their arms and waving their hand at her face to cool her down, and instantly she felt mortification creeping into her veins. Madge turns to look behind her and found Gale  _freaking_ Hawthorne holding her close.

“Morning, Princess,” he murmured. 

Madge edged away from him instantly. “I–what?” She reached up to rub at her eyes. The air was warm and her mouth was too dry. The last thing she remembered was her campers screaming in the distance about the heat, but it appeared she was inside one of the buildings at camp now and out of the sun. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Gale answered. “Straight into my arms.” Madge pushed herself a bit further away from him, still trying to place herself. All she knew was that she hadn’t been drinking enough water, and it was definitely one of the hottest days of the year. “You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

“Ugh.” Madge finally managed to get out of his arms and tried her damned hardest to ignore the smug smile on his face. “Where’s my group?

“Peeta took them,” Gale answered, speaking about her co-counselor. “And I carried you here while we wait for the nurse.” Gale reached behind him for his water bottle and passed it in her direction. “Drink. You’re dehydrated.” Madge frowned and accepted his bottle, pleased that it was cool to the touch. “Might even have heat exhaustion.”

“Ugh,” Madge said again. “No I don’t.”

“You were muttering things about Christmas, Undersee,” Gale told her. Madge drank greedily from his water bottle before eventually lowering it. “And you turned to me and just looked at me all bleary eyed and then literally fainted into my arms.”

“Ugh,” she repeated for the third time. “Get over yourself, Hawthorne.”

He smirked again, licking his lips. “Of all of the people you could’ve fallen into…” Madge screwed the lid back onto his water bottle and tossed it at him as hard as she could, eliciting a loud laugh. “Hey, I don’t mind,” he told her as he dodged her throw. “Anyway, I’m not going anywhere until the nurse gets here. Our staff is small this year, we can’t handle someone going to urgent care. Especially you.”

“I’m  _fine_ ,” Madge insisted. But Gale’s eyes grew darker and he shook his head. “You don’t need to stay with me, Gale. I’ll go slow and drink a lot of water.”

“I’m staying with you,” he said, “end of discussion.” Gale handed his water bottle back to her and together they waited for the nurse to arrive. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Madge landed on the floor with a loud thud, the sound of her feet hitting the tiles echoing loudly in the empty kitchen. She looked over her shoulder at Gale who was standing on the other side of the counter with a smug grin on his face.

The door to enter the kitchen was locked and the only way in had been to climb over the counter. Normally that wouldn’t have been a problem, but considering Mrs. Mellark was the cook of the week there were probably going to be repercussions. She kept her kitchen in tip-top order and even one thing out of place ended with the entire staff being scolded. 

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Madge hissed over at Gale before he, too, climbed over the counter. “She’s going to appear, and then  _murder_  us!”

Gale rolled his eyes in Madge’s direction before landing on the ground and walking past her. He went straight for the freezer and pulled open the door. “I want a Twix bar,” he said simply.

Madge nearly screamed in frustration.

They both had night break so it was almost 11, so the chance of Mrs. Mellark actually appearing were slim to none, but the idea of it happening still gave Madge heart palpitations. Normally the counselors had freeze pops in the break room but everyone else had eaten them before Madge and Gale got to sneak away from their individual groups – and Gale wanted ice cream. A Twix ice cream bar, to be specific.

Somehow he convinced Madge to go with him.

Cold air filled the room as Gale strode into the freezer and Madge groaned, looking into the dark kitchen and waiting for Mrs. Mellark to pop out of thin air and yell at her. She had no idea how Peeta was related to such a rude woman. While Peeta was a great counselor (and her favorite person on staff to work with in general), Mrs. Mellark looked for every reason to be angry and mean. 

“Madge,” Gale popped his head out of the freezer. “Are you coming or what?”

Quickly she strode to the freezer and joined him in the cool room. It was walk-in, having to be able to store enough to feed campers and counselors for weeks at a time, and very  _very_  cold. Madge crossed her arms over her chest and wondered if Gale had planned this just to get a peek at her – it was definitely not past him. 

All along the back wall of the freezer were different types of ice cream bars. Gale selected his own before gesturing to the other boxes. “Take your pick, Princess.”

Madge gnawed on her bottom lip before picking her own. “Can we get out of here now?” she asked, causing Gale to rolls his eyes.

He walked past her to the door of the freezer and pushed hard on the door. “Don’t be such a wimp,” he told her as the door opened. Madge shivered and crossed her arms even tighter across her chest. “There’s nothing–” he stopped talking immediately before back tracking. “Fuck.” Gale pulled the door shut as fast as he could and walked Madge into the back of the freezer. “Stay quiet,” he muttered.

“What?” Madge heard it then – noises coming from the kitchen. “Is that  _her_?”

“I don’t know,” he hissed, “now quiet!” 

Madge whined and started rubbing her arms. She could hear it now, the lecture she’d get from Mrs. Mellark as  _well_  as the Camp Director Haymitch Abernathy. They’d be banned from ice cream in general, or something ridiculous. 

It was in the quiet that followed that Madge realized Gale wasn’t angry with her, just nervous. He was standing close to her, close enough that she could slightly feel his body heat despite being in the literal freezer, but his head was cocked to the side as he was trying to listen to the noises in the kitchen.

Madge’s eyes studied his face as he tried to focus but soon he looked at her. His eyes lit up for a moment. “What?” Gale asked.

“Nothing.”

The corners of his mouth pulled into a small smile. “Okay.” 

Madge tried her hardest to frown in response. “It’s nothing,” she said again.

“Okay,” Gale repeated, his smile widening. Slowly he stepped closer. “Cold?” Madge nearly rolled her eyes, but  _yes she was._ “Geez, Undersee,” he laughed a little as he moved toward her even more. “First I have to catch you after you faint from heat exhaustion, and now you need my help to fight hypothermia?”

“We’ve been in this freezer for like, two minutes,” she grumbled. “I don’t have hypothermia. And I don’t need your help.” 

“ _Sure_ ,” he stressed with a smug smile. Again he fell silent, and his head was only slightly cocked so he could listen to the kitchen. There was definitely someone out there they just couldn’t figure out who. His eyes stayed on her though, moving from her nose to her lips, not even trying to be subtle about it. After a while he cleared his throat. “Madge,” he started. His voice was low, and his eyes were dark, and Madge was not prepared.

“Let’s risk it,” she blurted, quickly starting for the door to the freezer. 

Gale Hawthorne was a great counselor but he was also an ass half the time, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about their (apparently obvious, if you ask Peeta) sexual tension. Working with a group of kids kept her mind busy, and being close to Gale wasn’t something she’d had time to sort out.

“Madge!”

She pushed opened the door to the freezer and was prepared to jump the counter when she found herself frozen in her spot. Not because of the literal freezer she just exited but because of the people who were in the kitchen.

Gale followed swiftly after her and burst into laughter the second he could see who was in the kitchen. Katniss and Peeta (both of whom did  _not_  have night break and should  _not_  be anywhere away from their cabins) were on the counter in the back very, very close. Peeta was standing between Katniss’s legs, his hands still tangled in her thick hair, both of their faces red. 

Madge felt herself blush as well. “Oh, my God,” she exhaled. “Oh my God. Oh my  _God_.” She went for the counter to get out of the kitchen as fast as she could. “They prepare food back here!” she hissed at her friends. “Food that we  _consume!_ And why are you not with campers?”

Gale was still laughing, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as Madge climbed over the counter with her ice cream bar in her hand.

Without even saying anything he climbed after her, and they left the kitchen side by side. Before Gale could speak she turned to him, “It’s never discussed again.”

“I can second that,” Gale echoed before laughing a little again. “Imagine if his mom found out.” Madge shuddered and Gale laughed another time. They unwrapped their ice cream bars and headed back to the staff lounge, trying to clear their heads from the kitchen. 


	3. Chapter 3

Even though Madge  _swore_  she’d start drinking more water and taking things a bit easier, it was harder than she thought. The summer was blazing hot almost every day and the humidity was so thick it was like they were in a jungle. Having a group of children to take care of was distracting, and Madge almost always paid more attention to their health than her own.

She did drink more water though, but it didn’t help with the heat. She was sore all the time, her muscles always ached at the end of the day. Today had been particularly long, they’d hiked up a mountainous area to see the view and then hiked back, all while the temperature teetered on 100.

Finally she was on break, lounging in the staff cabin and trying to restore some of her mental health. Gale lowered himself to the seat beside her on the couch and Madge didn’t even move. She was so exhausted that she briefly considered leaning onto him instead of away, just because it would be easier to relax.

“Christ,” Gale murmured as he sat. They always seemed to have breaks at the same time, it was something Madge wanted to bring up with Effie Trinket who coordinated the scheduling. Not that Madge minded – it was nice being on break with Gale. “It was so  _fucking_  hot today.”

“Mmm,” Madge agreed sleepily. More than anything she wanted to sleep. She should’ve just stayed in her cabin with the kids and gone to bed but part of her longed for night breaks. Counselors sitting around and laughing together was such a good way to recharge –  _and_  she got to see Gale. Which was  _always_  nice. 

“And my back is  _killing_  me,” he groaned, sinking further into the couch with a sigh. “I can’t wait for the weekend.” He threw his shoulders back a little and Madge could hear the crack. She opened one of her eyes to look at him. “Sorry,” he murmured. 

“Do you…” Madge trailed off sleepily. “I could… give you a massage?” she asked. She felt Gale shift beside her and she opened both of her eyes now, finding his eyebrows arched in surprise. “What?”

“Are you about to pass out again?” Gale asked, his eyebrows still high on his forehead. “Because non-heat exhausted Madge Undersee would never offer that.”

Madge whined and pushed his side. “Forget it.”

“You’re clearly the one that needs the massage,” Gale carried on. “Miss ‘I’m-unstoppable-and-get-dehydrated-every-day.’”

“ _Stop_ ,” she whined another time and pushed him once more. “I’m–ugh, I’m just tired.” Gale threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her toward him, and Madge who was too warm and too sleepy to protest went with it. She leaned onto his side and sighed loudly. “I’m tired,” she said again.

“That’s the camp counselor life,” Gale told her as he played with the tips of her hair. Madge was so close to the verge of sleep at she didn’t even notice. “Isn’t it great?”

“Mmm,” she agreed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

She awoke a few minutes later when Finnick entered the staff lounge and accidentally slammed the door. She was still curled into Gale’s side but he didn’t seem to mind, one of his arms over her shoulder while the other fiddled with his phone.

“You will not  _believe_  how much vomit I just had to clean up,” Finnick said, causing the entire room to groan. 

Madge looked over at Gale whose face flickered with a smile. Slowly she eased out of his arms and rubbed at her eyes. “I should go to bed,” she murmured.

Gale removed his arm from around her shoulder. “I can walk you,” he said. No one else in the room heard, or even if they did no one reacted, but Madge paused. “My cabin’s on the way,” Gale carried on.

“That’s… alright,” Madge said. Quickly she made her way to the door, calling out her goodnights to everyone in the room. Gale sunk back onto the couch and let his eyebrows collide, watching her exit the staff lounge with a frown.


	4. Chapter 4

Madge stood in the program ark with her arms crossed over her chest. The program ark was a small wooden building where all the silly costumes were stored, and the silly costumes were needed for ridiculous campfire skits, and she just so happened to be in campfire tonight. And everyone  _knew_  the sparkly white disco dress was  _Madge’s_  go-to campfire outfit.

However, when she arrived to get ready to perform for the kids she found Gale Hawthorne  _already wearing it_.

“It’s a pretty dress,” he joked, fixing the straps on his shoulders. Her frown deepened. In any universe, Madge was sure that Gale would never get into a dress for any reason whatsoever, too much of a reputation to uphold, but apparently Gale would literally do whatever his campers wanted. 

Which included wearing a white sparkly disco dress.

Gale Hawthorne was surprisingly selfless, and loved the children at their camp  _so much_ it made Madge feel warm. His patience with adults was short almost always but when it came to kids he was a completely different human, soft and understanding and willing to do anything for them. He made homesick campers stop crying with ease, he made rowdy campers calm with just one look, he was a  _supreme_ camp counselor.

And now he was wearing a disco dress because his campers had wanted it.

“That’s my dress,” Madge said another time. “Take it off.”

Gale threw his head back in a laugh. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” she challenged. Campfire was in ten minutes and she needed to put it on over her clothes. “Take. It. Off.”

Gale laughed another time and shook his head at her. “No. I’m wearing this dress.” 

“It’s  _my_  dress! You  _know_  that!” 

He watched her with a pleasant smile on his face before slowly reaching down to the hem of the dress. “Sure thing, Princess.” Quickly he pulled off the dress revealing his tanned and shapely abs. Her face went red as he tossed the dress at her. Most counselors would wear the campfire outfits over their clothes, but Gale was clearly going full force tonight. “Better?”

“Jesus, Gale,” she turned away from him. “Put your clothes on!”

“God forbid you can see my chest,” he responded, turning to rummage through some of the bins of clothes and find another dress to wear. “You’re just  _trying_ to get me naked. Aren’t you, Undersee?”

“I–no, I–stop!” Madge fumbled for words and rushed to get dressed in her silly costume. “Ugh.” Finally she was dressed and started for the door of the program ark. “You’re awful,” she said, watching as Gale pulled on a new dress – this one bright orange. 

He shrugged. “Whatever.” His eyes drifted over her briefly. “You look better in the dress anyway,” he said. 

Without allowing her face to burst with red again she quickly marched from the program ark, deciding not to wait for him to walk together. 


	5. Chapter 5

Madge flipped through the new assignments and gnawed on her bottom lip. Every Friday after the old campers would leave, Haymitch handed out the assignments for the next week of camp. They were announced out loud who would be co-counselors (Madge was working with Alex Cato this week which wasn’t ideal, but she could handle him) and she wanted to see who her campers were going to be.

Before she could find her name and her kids listed below, someone popped up over her shoulder. 

“With Cato again?” Gale asked. Madge looked over her shoulder at him briefly and nodded before looking back at the sheet. She flipped another page and found her name. “I mean, he’s not the worst.”

“No, not the worst,” Madge agreed. He was kind of a douche to everyone who wasn’t a child, but in the end it was the campers happiness that mattered most. Besides, at least it wasn’t Brutus. “It’ll be fine.” She scanned the list of her kids and to look for familiar names from summers past.

“Oh, shit,” Gale said before laughing a little. He stretched his hand out and tapped her paper. “You’ve got my little brother in your group.”

Her eyes drifted until she found  _Rory Hawthorne_.

Madge turned to face Gale now and lowered her paper. “I didn’t know your siblings came to camp,” she said, and he shrugged.

“It’s Rory’s second time. He liked it enough last year. It’s Vick’s first though, he’s in Mellark’s group of juniors.” 

Madge looked back down at Rory’s name. “What’s he like?” she asked. 

Gale’s eyes lit up immediately as he started talking about his brother. “He’s kind of a brat,” Gale started with a laugh. “But he’s a good kid. He’s a natural leader but it takes him a few minutes to get used to groups. He’ll try really, really hard to be cool.” Gale was looking off into the distance as he spoke as if trying to conjure an image of his brother in his mind. “Rory’s a lot of fun. Super goofy, eventually super loud. He just wants to make people laugh.” Gale wrinkled his nose and looked back at Madge. “Stubborn. He’s really stubborn.”

“Wonder where he gets it,” Madge said as her lips curled upwards. Listening to Gale talk about his family always made her feel warm. He could be a bit brash sometimes but Madge knew he loved his family more than anything, and it really showed when he talked about them. 

Gale blinked a few times and narrowed his eyes in her direction, though his mouth stretched into a grin. “Have I entered an alternate universe?” Gale asked. “Or did you really just crack a smile for me?”

Madge tried her damned hardest to swallow it back when he mentioned it but she couldn’t stop it from growing. “Absolutely not,” she shook her head. 

“Ah, no you’re definitely smiling.”

She bit her lip but she try as she might, she couldn’t stop. “I’m excited to meet your brother,” she said. Which was partly true. But mostly she thought Gale speaking about her family was  _super cute_. “That’s all.”

“Sure.” Gale arched a playful eyebrow before taking a step away from her. “I’m going to leave before things go south for me,” he said, but his smile was still wide. “I’ll see you later, Undersee.”

Also still smiling, Madge felt her cheeks turn red. She looked back down at her schedule without saying anything in response. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

It was a hot summer day again and Madge was exhausted. Her and Cato’s group had just made a long hike down the mountain to a separate location that camp owned, known by the campers as District 13 since it was the 13th piece of land the camp owned, and he and all of the kids were inside the building on the property taking a bathroom break and refilling their water bottles.

Across the field from the building stood a large barn, and inside that barn it was basically ten thousand degrees. Haymitch had pulled up a camp van ten minutes ago and while Cato was inside with minimal air conditioning and their ten screaming children, Madge was unloading the van.

The kids were going to be sleeping in the barn that night, an old camp tradition that Madge hated on days like today when the sun was cooking the entire place, but she could manage. The ground was pretty comfortable for being completely wooden, and at least no animals lived there anymore.

“Need some help?” she heard. Gale materialized at her side and without waiting for her to answer started grabbing sleeping bags from the van to place into the barn.

She smiled at him gratefully before returning to work. Not only was it her group but all of the groups that week, so there were a lot of sleeping bags to pile up.

Soon enough the van was empty and Haymitch returned to drive it away, leaving Madge to lower herself onto the ground and stare out into the field. 

“Long hike?” Gale asked as he lowered himself beside her. He didn’t have a group that week so he got to drive down in one of the vans, and Madge was immensely jealous. She’d taken that hike too many times to count and it never got any easier, or any shorter. “At least it looks like rain,” he said. “It’ll cool everything down.”

“Thank God for that,” Madge said. Gale dug through his backpack and pulled out his water bottle before passing it to her. “I should get back to my group,” she murmured with a soft sigh, but Gale insisted she take it.

“Cato can handle your kids.”

With another sigh she accepted his water and screwed the lid off quickly. “Thanks.” 

Not even five minutes later the first crack of lightning struck down, causing Madge to jump. The rain was immediate, heavy and thick, and she was surprised she hadn’t seen the signs. The wind had been a little heavy on their hike but the sky was relatively clear. She knew summer storms moved quickly but this one had seemed to appear out of no where. 

“Well,” Gale leaned backwards on his palms and stared out at the building that was well across the field. Thunder filled the air. “Looks like we’ll be trapped for awhile.” 

With another sigh Madge sunk backwards as well. “We could run,” she said, eyeing the building in the distance. 

It wasn’t  _that_  far, really. If she sprinted it could take like, fifteen seconds. But the rain was really coming down, and the lightning wasn’t joking around. The field was constantly lit due to the brightness and closeness of the lightning, and the thunder rumbled the entire barn. 

“Absolutely not,” Gale shook his head. “Too risky.”

“Risk is fun sometimes,” she tried.

Gale tilted his head in her direction and a sly smile filled his face. “Is it?” he asked.

“Oh, come on. You break rules all the time, Gale.”

His smile widened. “Yeah, but I’d rather not get struck by lightning today.” He shrugged a little. “And at least it’s cooling down.” He looked back into the field. “Besides, I’m not bad company.”

Madge threw her head back in a laugh and his smile grew again. “If you say so.”

She talked for some time about her group, how the dynamic was weird and Rory was a little bit of a pain in the ass, how Cato was a douche to her and challenged her authority on little things, and Gale listened intently. Madge had never realized what a good listener her was, but then again she rarely vented to him about all of her little struggles. Only every now and again would he interject, but he constantly nodded to let her know he was keeping up.

“Is it really that awful?” he asked. “This week.”

Madge laid back on the floor of the barn and smiled, shaking her head. “No. It’s not.” Gale joined her and she turned to look at him. “They’re funny, they make me laugh. The kids, not Cato.”

“Got it.”

“And they’re the first group I’ve had all summer that could complete the seven foot wall without an injury.”

“Now  _that’s_  an accomplishment,” Gale teased. 

She watched him for a minute, her eyes drifting from the tip of his nose to his long dark eyelashes. “Thanks,” she finally said. “For letting me vent.” 

“Cato’s a dick,” Gale offered. “I like watching you get fired up.” He smiled, then. “And also I kind of owe it to you. Considering Rory’s in your group and all.” His eyes shifted back to hers and she could feel him still. “Madge,” he said softly. “I… I think we should talk.”

“We are talking,” she responded.

“No, not about campers,” his eyes studied her face. “About us.”

Her eyebrows came together quickly. “I’m–what? What about us?”

“ _Madge_ ,” his voice lowered. “I–” a crack of lightning stopped him, causing the two of them to look toward the entrance of the barn. Gale shifted up onto his palms and Madge moved too to see what he was looking at, finding the camp van slowly backing toward them. “Haymitch,” Gale told her as he stood.

He offered his hand to her but Madge pretended she didn’t see, too focused on the hammering of her heart in time with the heavy rain to touch him in this moment, and pushed herself to stand as well. 

Slowly the van reached the door to the barn, and Haymitch pushed opened the back door from the inside. “Get in!” he yelled to them. “We should be in the building, it’s not the safest here.”

Madge grabbed her backpack and climbed into the van through the back, only getting sprayed by the water a little bit, and Gale followed after.

Haymitch quickly drove them to the building on the edge of the field, effectively ending her and Gale’s conversation from the barn. Madge would just have to think about that later.


	7. Chapter 7

Madge hated cook-out dinner. She wasn’t very good at making fires and it was a lot harder to concentrate on making a fire when her co-counselor (fucking  _Cato_ ) wasn’t even entertaining their kids. She had to flip flop between burning dead leaves and watching her teepee of sticks fall over multiple times and singing a stupid song about bubble gum to keep her children from running around and throwing rocks at one another.

Cato was rummaging through the food probably looking for chocolate bars (even though they hadn’t even eaten dinner yet so it definitely was  _not_  s'mores time) and Madge was going to explode. She set down her lighter and moved to her kids, turning to Rory desperately. 

“Play a game,” she told him. The boy’s dark eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Your favorite,” she went on. “You can lead it. Whatever it is. Zip-Zap. Hypno Toad. I don’t care. But you can totally do it.”

As if detecting the panic in her voice he nodded immediately. “Sure thing, Madge,” Rory responded. He moved over to his friends. “Hey guys,” he called out. “How about a round of Street Fighter?”

Madge sighed with relief and offered him a hopeful smile before returning to the fire. She scanned the area for her lighter which she was  _sure_  she set  _right there_  when she felt a shadow.

“Hey, have you seen my…?” she looked up and found Gale standing there with her lighter in his hands. “Oh.” 

“I’ll get the fire started,” he told her. His voice was surprisingly gentle considering he hadn’t spoken with her since their almost-conversation in the barn the other day. His eyes had been hard since then, angry without saying so, upset mingled with confusion. But now he was filled with sympathy. “Talk to Cato. Fuck him up.”

She sighed in relief for the second time today thanks to one of the Hawthornes and nodded before starting off for her co-counselor. She grabbed Cato by the hem of his shirt and dragged him away from their group, far enough away that she could hear Rory leading the game and still see them but the kids wouldn’t be able to hear  _her_.

“You had one job,” she hissed. “Entertain the kids, or make the dinner. You chose entertain the kids. Do you know what that entails?” Before Cato could answer, his face filling with annoyance and disgust, Madge answered her own question. “Not sitting on your ass. Do your job, Cato!” 

She reached down and snatched the candy bar from his hand with a scowl before marching back to their campers.

It took him a few minutes but eventually Cato joined their group while Madge went back to work on the fire. “Nice,” Gale said, poking at the small flames he’d managed to built. His face was void of a smile but she could hear it in his voice anyway. “He looks pissed.”

“Good,” Madge muttered. She stared at the fire with her eyebrows furrowed. “How can you do that so easily?” Gale shrugged before adding more sticks. “I’ve been trying for like, twenty minutes. You did it in two.” Gale shrugged again. She shifted her gaze to him and watched him add even more sticks. “Gale,” she said softly. 

Madge watched him tense up. “What?” he asked, his voice much less sincere than before. He snapped his eyes up to hers from where he was crouched by the fire. “So now you want to talk? Is that it?”

She frowned at him. “I don’t want to fight with you, Gale.”

“I don’t want to fight with you either,” he snapped. 

Madge rolled her eyes at him. “Really? Because your tone makes it sound like you do.” Gale reached to the pile of sticks by the fire and added some more which forced his gaze away from her. “Gale, I just…” she looked over her shoulder at her kids where Cato was finally interacting with them. “I don’t know what you want to  _talk_ about.”

He let out a dry laugh. “Yes you do.” She bit on her bottom lip as he looked back up at her. “It’s not that hard to figure out, Undersee.”

She  _really_  didn’t know what to say. Madge held his gaze for a long time, his stormy gray eyes that were unusually clear, eyes that always made her feel warm. So many thoughts raced through her head, about rules and feelings and how  _illogical_ it was for her and  _Gale_  to even  _talk_  about whatever it was between them. 

“I’m sorry,” she finally forced out.

He sighed and shook his head. “Me too.” Gale looked back down at the fire and tossed in another stick. As he stood he said, “I’ve got to go.”

“Gale, just–”

“See you around, Undersee,” he muttered. And then he was gone, leaving her to tend to the fire all on her own. 


	8. Chapter 8

Finally Friday had arrived, and though Madge loved her group and was sad to see them go she was just as excited for the weekend. Every Friday was when Haymitch gave out assignments for the next week, and following their staff meeting they had the weekends to themselves to refresh and recharge until Sunday afternoon when the new campers would arrive. 

Madge was sitting on top of a picnic table with her feet on the seat after debriefing with Cato. She pointed out all of the shitty things he did as a counselor but made sure to end with the good things he did as well. Looking back at it, the kids really did love him, and as long as Madge gave him some guidance he was pretty good at leading things as well. Of course he made sure to point out all of the shitty things she did too but Madge was surprised he thanked her for the week at the end of it.

Still, she was ready for next week. She leaned backwards and looked at the other counselors that were joining the pavilion, done cleaning and done with their groups and also ready to start staff meeting. Peeta lowered himself into the spot beside her and offered Madge a smile.

“Long week?”

“You have no idea,” she nearly whined. Madge leaned forward to pull him into a hug, frustrated that she hadn’t gotten to see her best friend all week. They were on different break schedules so she only ever saw him in passing. “I missed you.”

“You too,” he said with a laugh. “Fill me in?” Quickly Madge started telling him about her entire week, but most of her focus was on Gale and how he’d been wanting to talk to her about…  _something_. 

Okay, she knew what it was. Or at least she hoped. Or maybe she didn’t hope? She couldn’t really tell. But Gale was heavily hinting at… a relationship, maybe? Some kind of connection? She was hoping they’d get to talk tonight to maybe clear the air. She valued Gale’s friendship but wasn’t sure she wanted something more. 

Soon enough the pavilion was full of counselors. Madge stopped her story to Peeta once the room was full because Gale had arrived. He sat on a picnic table across the way beside Katniss, Johanna Mason sitting on his other side. Madge caught his gaze and he stared at her for a very long moment before turning to Johanna beside him, cracking a smile at something she said.

Madge looked away and felt her face warm. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Gale. He was handsome and his camp counselor abilities were astounding. He was brave and silly and determined and patient and everything she’d wanted in a partner. But camp relationships had weird stigmas to them. She didn’t want to be involved in the gossip, she didn’t want her work to be affected by it. She also wasn’t sure if she genuinely  _did_ like him or if being around him all the time just made her think she did. 

She looked at him another time and waited for him to look back, hoping to signify that they should  _talk_  so she can explain all of this, but he kept joking around with Johanna. 

“Alright,” Haymitch finally arrived. “Congrats on finishing off the week.” There were cheers from everyone, even Madge smiled a little bit. “Before we get into assignments though, let’s have everyone IT with someone for about… twenty minutes.”

Madge looked at Gale again. IT Time stood for Interpersonal Time (Time), which mostly just meant two people having time to talk about things. It was perfect. They could walk off and have this conversation.

But by the time she had found him he was already standing with Johanna, the two of them disappearing from the pavilion. Instead she turned to Peeta and tried to hide her disappointment.

When all was said and done and everyone had gotten their assignments (Madge was with Finnick next week and she was super excited), Madge went after Gale. “Hey,” she pulled on his shirt. “Can we talk for a second?”

He looked between Katniss and Johanna before nodding and leading them from the crowds. “What do you want?” he asked. 

Madge’s question sounded rough. “Why’d you go with Johanna?” He arched an eyebrow at her. “I thought, you know maybe we could’ve paired off and talked about, you know.”

“About, you know,” he repeated dully. “You made it clear you didn’t want to have that talk.”

“No, I didn’t want to have that talk  _then_ ,” Madge said as she tried to get him to understand. “I mean, I think–it’s not that I don’t want to talk about it Gale there’s just so much going on, and the timing was never right, and… just, you shouldn’t have gone with Johanna.”

He stared at her for a minute. “Well we can talk now,” he said. “Does that work?”

“No,” Madge shook her head. “I have to go home tonight, and it’s supposed to storm so I want to leave as soon as I can.”

“How was I supposed to know that?” he grumbled. “Christ, Madge, I don’t know what you want from me.”

She nearly overflowed with frustration. “I want you to not talk to Johanna!” 

Gale froze and narrowed his eyes in her direction. It was the third time she’d mentioned Jo, and Jo wasn’t an awful person. “Wait a minute,” Gale had figured it out before Madge had. “Are you jealous?” Before she could even answer he shook his head. “Are you kidding me, Undersee? Since when do you have the right to be jealous?”

“I’m–Gale, I’m not, just…” she pressed her hands into her eyes and groaned. “No. This is–no.” 

“Holy fuck,” he took a step back from her. “This is ridiculous, Madge. You’re being ridiculous.” She was still rubbing at her eyes. “If you want to talk to me then fucking  _talk_  to me, stop playing these stupid fucking games. Okay?” 

She looked up when she heard him take another step back. “Gale–”

“We talked about her shitty group,” Gale said. “Johanna. Her group stormed the entire week. That’s what we talked about.” Again he stepped away. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“ _Gale_ ,” she tried again. “I want to talk about it.” 

He hesitated. “When are you coming back?” he asked. 

“Tomorrow night,” Madge said. She was only heading home for the morning because she had a dentist appointment. “Maybe earlier, depends on if I can get my laundry done.”

Gale was still a few steps away from her. “Fine, then we can talk tomorrow.” The frustration on his face disappeared if only for a second. “Because I want to talk about it too,” he murmured. Gale looked to the sky, even though it was already dark. “Drive safe,” he told her, and then left her to rejoin Katniss and Johanna. 


	9. Chapter 9

When Madge pulled back into camp, she felt a little nervous. She wasn’t entirely sure of her feelings about Gale, but to be fair she wasn’t sure how he felt either. Maybe this was all a giant miscommunication and everything was normal. 

Quickly she sent him a text saying she was back, and he responded that he’d meet her by the rocks. 

She  _liked_  being friends with Gale. He made her laugh (though she tried not to) and he made her think (which was one of her favorite things) and he challenged her on all levels (but never pushed her too far and offered his support through it all). Gale was someone she wanted to be around even if they’d been distant in earlier summers. The idea of taking that somewhere else was scary.

Madge unbuckled and walked to the rocks where she found Gale already waiting for her. Because camp was up on a mountain they had the best view. The sun was beginning to set and the rocks that everyone hung out by overlooked a valley with a large river and a small town, it gave access to the perfect sunset location. The sky was orange and pink and Gale turned when he heard her footsteps, offering a gentle smile. 

“How was the dentist?” he asked.

“No cavities,” she responded.

His smile widened. “Well that’s nice.” Gale tilted his head to the side, motioning for her to join him, and she felt her heart pick up again. 

Madge climbed out onto the rocks and sat beside him. Both of them were quiet for a moment, taking in the view. It was one of Madge’s favorite things about camp, the quiet beauty that they got to see every day. He shifted beside her as the wind started to blow, a light breeze that made the hairs on her arm stand up. 

“So,” she finally started.

He turned to look at her. “So,” Gale echoed.

She kept her eyes on the view, unsure what would happen if she looked at him. “You go first,” she said.

“Okay.” He shifted again. “I like you.” Hearing him say it made her fingers go numb. “I don’t know when it started,” Gale went on, “or how long it’s really been a thing, but I like you.” He was still looking at her even though she hadn’t looked back. “And lately, I don’t know. I needed you to know.”

Madge finally looked over at him. “Why?”

“Why?” he repeated. “Why do I like you? Because you’re stubborn and ridiculous and smart and you love this place more than anyone I know and it shows.” Gale smiles a little. “Because the first thing Rory said to me at the end of the week was  _can Madge be my counselor next time too_?” She felt her cheeks warm. “Because I do. There’s nothing else to it.” Gale shrugged. “And I think you like me too.”

“Gale…”

“No, don’t,” he stopped her. “Before you go off on rules or how other people feel about it, I want to know how  _you_ feel.”

She looked back out at the sunset. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t… I don’t know.” 

Gale sighed softly. He didn’t speak for a long time. “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice,” he finally said. Madge felt her entire body turn pink. “No one’s ever looked at me like you do.” 

She didn’t know how to respond to him. Madge gnawed on her bottom lip. He was nice to look at, she couldn’t help herself sometimes. But she never thought she was looking at him any special way. He wasn’t wrong though, so she couldn’t call him out. 

“We go to different universities,” she finally told him. Gale shifted away from her and made a noise of disgust. “The summer’s over in six weeks.”

“In what fucking universe am I the hopeful one?” Gale grumbled. Madge finally looked over at him. “Who gives a shit what schools we go to, Madge? They’re only–what, an hour apart? And who’s talking about six weeks from now? I’m talking about  _today_. In this moment.” 

“I don’t  _know_ ,” she said again.

“That’s bullshit.”

Madge reached up and rubbed at her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to sort out her thoughts. “It just won’t work.”

“Okay, but do you believe that or are you just saying that to make things easier?”

She threw her head back in a laugh. “How is arguing with you easy?”

Gale shifted even more away from her. “So that’s it then?” he asked. “There’s nothing here. I’m just delusional.”

Finally she turned to look at him again. There was frustration on his face that she just didn’t understand. Everything made sense to her – the two of them wouldn’t work so there was really no point to it. Right? It didn’t matter how she felt. 

“When you spend a lot of time with only a few people–” Madge started, but Gale cut her off.

“Don’t talk about fucking  _camp syndrome_  to me,” he muttered. The belief that being around camp counselors, friends, working all summer with humans who shared similar ideals made everyone more attractive. “We’ve worked together for two years, Undersee. You don’t think something would’ve happened before now if  _camp syndrome_  was a real thing?” Gale groaned loudly. “Tell me there’s nothing here so I can move the fuck on, okay?”

For the first time in their conversation Madge heard his voice quiver. She watched as he stared off into the distance with his thick eyebrows furrowed together and tried to understand him. Gale Hawthorne wasn’t the type of person to talk about his emotions, his feelings, especially not with Madge. In the past few years of working with him she’d watched him flirt with other female counselors endlessly, even being caught with a few of them in multiple different ways. 

But he was opening up, and maybe that was what was making her feel so strange. Listening to him speak so straightforwardly was a new experience, a new  _Gale_. 

“I can’t tell you that,” she finally said. Gale’s eyes shifted back to hers. Together they sat on the rocks, the sun setting before them. “I just, I don’t know. I don’t–I don’t want people to–I don’t want things to  _change_ I like how things are.”

His lips parted slightly and his tongue darted out to wet them. “Madge.” Her eyes drifted elsewhere because looking at him was too much for the moment. “Hey,” Gale shifted back to her side. “Talk to me.”

“I just don’t know if that’s what I  _want_  right now, Gale.” After a moment of trying to figure out what to say she sighed in frustration. “I don’t  _know_ what I want.”

His face still looked forlorn but his eyes were brighter now. “Okay,” Gale said. “That’s okay.” He reached up to cup her cheek before gently brushing her chin with his thumb. His voice was low, “But I’m not going to wait forever.”

After that Gale pulled away from her, carefully pushing himself to stand. Gale left her on the rocks watching the sky fill with deeper, darker purples and and a lot to think about.


	10. Chapter 10

Madge was incredibly thankful that Gale didn’t act any different to her in the following week. It might have had to do with the fact that they didn’t really have time to interact because they both had groups to look after, but at least he wasn’t avoiding her even more.

His stare was more intense though as though he was waiting for something to happen. Bright gray eyes always looking in her direction.

She felt like maybe she was waiting for something to happen too, though she wasn’t sure what. Gale made it very clear that he wasn’t going to wait around for her – and she didn’t want him to – but she couldn’t figure out what she wanted to do.

She hated the gossip that came with camp relationships, she hated how people always looked at those involved differently. But she  _liked_  Gale. 

It wasn’t until Tuesday morning did she really get a chance to talk to him. Madge and Finnick’s junior high group had signed up for rock climbing, and Gale and Delly’s group would be going at the same time as them. 

When they arrived at the rock wall Gale and Delly’s group was already there. Gale was tied into the harness and was belaying the children that climbed considering he was certified to do so, and he offered Madge a polite smile when they got there. 

She helped her kids get their harnesses on and checked their helmets but Gale was far enough away that she didn’t need to have a conversation with him. Every once in a while Madge would ask if she could send a kid over and he’d respond when he was ready for them. 

Not everyone in her group went so there was a lot of spare time when Gale asked if any counselors wanted to go. Delly refused but Finnick jumped on the opportunity, and soon after all of Madge’s campers were egging her on as well.

“I’m not very good,” she told them, but still they chanted. 

“Miss! Madge! Miss! Madge! Miss! Madge!”

Gale arched an eyebrow in a quiet challenge and finally she agreed. Once Finnick was down she marched over to Gale and he helped her get her harness on.

“You want to tighten the waist first,” he said, holding up her harness as she pulled it on. “Keep it around your belly button.” Madge fumbled with the straps, unsure if she was nervous from the rock climbing or being so close to Gale while also still being so undefined, but he stayed calm. “Let me help,” Gale murmured so gently it made her heart race.

He reached around and pulled on the straps to tighten them. “Ow,” she said with a frown, and he smiled sheepishly. 

“The tighter the better.” Gale watched her as she looked up at the wall. “Nervous?”

“I’ve done it before,” was her answer. Neither a confirmation or denial. “It’ll be fine.” Gale nodded and reached down to tighten the straps that went across her thighs. He pulled so hard she squeaked and fell forward, his hand still splayed across her inner thigh as her forehead hit his shoulder. Gale steadied her with his freehand before she looked up to meet his eyes. “Well this is awkward,” she murmured.

He laughed and shook his head. “Only if you make it awkward.” As he moved his hand from her thigh over to the other strap he held her gaze and licked his lips, making her feel light headed. “You have night break?” he asked softly, and she nodded. “Me too. Anything you want to talk about?”

His voice was low and his hands on her skin, intimate only because they knew it, was making Madge dizzy. “I… maybe.” Gale’s eyes drifted to her lips. “I’ll let you know.”

He finished tightening her final strap and nodded. “You do that.” Gale stretched his hand up and lightly brushed her hair from her face before fixing her helmet. “Ready to climb?”

“Only if you don’t look at my butt.”

Gale chuckled and his eyes lit up, causing Madge to smile. “Don’t tempt me, Undersee,” he said as she started up the wall. “I’ve got you if you fall,” he reminded her. 

She only made it halfway up the rock wall. Her hands were sweating and she kept losing her grip, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t because she was scared of climbing. 

Suddenly, Madge couldn’t wait for night break.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Madge wasn’t the biggest fan of the Twizzler game. It involved someone putting a Twizzler in their mouth and passing it off to someone with their mouth, and everyone would bite off their piece until it got smaller, and smaller, and soon people were nose to nose and teeth to teeth. 

But Peeta loved it, and he started it practically every night break ever. 

Madge always tried to get in on it early because the Twizzler was still long at that point and it was a lot easier to pass and she was less likely to kiss someone on accident, but she’d been so spacey tonight that she hadn’t realized it had started. 

She was thinking about Gale, about if she wanted to talk to him or if she wanted to just move on and get over it, about if she should  _talk_  with him tonight about whatever they were. More than once she’d realized she was staring at him from where he sat all the way across the staff lounge on the couch. She’d caught his eyes more than once and he’d lifted an eyebrow in question that she never answered. 

But soon enough he had lowered himself beside her. With the smallest amount of Twizzler in his mouth. 

Peeta was cackling from where he stood. “Take it!” her friend encouraged. 

Gale’s gaze was teasing and intense all at once. He leaned toward Madge unable to speak but held the Twizzler out of his teeth in her direction. 

“Take it!” the room was chanting. “Take it!” 

So with a deep breath Madge leaned in and accepted the last bit of Twizzler. Their noses brushed but their lips did not, yet still she could feel his warmth. Gale smiled as they parted, almost as though he had won some sort of victory, and Madge swallowed the last bit of Twizzler without looking away from him. 

Everyone was cheering, another round of the Twizzler game successfully completed, and they all went back to whatever they were doing beforehand as Peeta rifled in his box of snacks for probably another Twizzler. But Madge was lost in Gale’s eyes, licking her lips to see if there was something there. 

Her voice wavered as she asked, “Want to IT?” The perfect cover for anyone listening in - Interpersonal Time (Time). “We can go to the rocks.”

Gale smirked before nodding. “Sounds perfect.” 

They gathered their things and Madge tried her damned hardest to ignore the way her heart was hammering in her chest. He’d been so close and she’d been so  _ready_ for something and after Gale had pulled away Madge had craved more.

They walked to the rocks together in silence but Madge noticed he stole a few glances in her direction on the way over, even in the darkness. By the time they’d settled in their spot from the other day she felt like she was going to burst.

Gale cleared his throat, “So what–”

“Kiss me,” she interrupted. Gale arched a dark eyebrow at her and she let out a shaking breath. “Just–maybe, I don’t know,” Madge looked out across the valley at the twinkling lights of the nearby town considering the sky was dark. “I thought–that was stupid. Never mind. Forget I even–”

Gale reached across and grabbed her chin, turning Madge to face him before gently kissing her as she’d requested. It was clear he intended for it to be quick but Madge swung her hands up to pull him down more. Gale groaned as they shifted on the rock, Madge knotting her fingers in his hair and Gale trying his hardest not to press her down into gravel bits. 

Soon her hands were on his cheeks, gripping his shirt, almost anywhere they could latch onto and pull him towards her. But Gale parted and pinned his forehead to hers, breathing heavily in the cool night. 

“Don’t fuck with me,” Gale whispered before kissing her gently. “Don’t pretend this didn’t happen.”

Madge shook her head and their noses brushed. “No,” she rasped. “I won’t.” A smile spread on his face as he kissed her again. “But I…” she trailed off and Gale peeled back slightly. “I want this,” she told him. “Whatever this is, I want it. But I don’t… want people to know.” 

He furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

Madge licked her lips and tasted Twizzler which made her want to smile but Gale sounded angry. “I hate the gossip,” she told him. “I hate it. I don’t want people talking about us.” 

The frustration slowly slipped from his face. “That’s it?”

Madge nodded. “Yeah.” He blinked a few times as though he didn’t believe her. “I’ve–I had a thing with someone one summer, you remember?” she asked. He didn’t react. “My first summer. Taftan? It was awful. And everyone talked about us all the time, and I hated it.” Gale shifted a little bit away from her. “But I like you so much it’s driving me insane and I want to be with you, I just don’t want it to get ruined.”

“So liking me was never the problem?”

“Absolutely not,” she went on. “I’ve always, kind of…” she felt warm and Gale moved back to her, cupping her cheek another time. “I didn’t want to because I knew all about the drama, so I pretended like I didn’t.”

Gale kissed her again. “Okay,” he whispered. Another kiss. “We don’t have to tell anyone.” Again. “You sure that’s it?” Madge nodded. She wasn’t sure how to tell him all of the little things she liked about him. His patience, his friendship, his devotion in all things. “Okay,” he said again. Then with a little laugh, “Good.”

Madge reached up to cup his cheeks now and Gale’s smile had never been more brilliant. “We should get back,” she murmured, brushing her thumbs across his skin. 

“We can wait a little bit,” Gale countered as he dipped in another time.

They didn’t leave the rocks for a long time. Madge certainly didn’t mind.

 


	12. Chapter 12

Madge always enjoyed sleeping out with her kids. Usually one night a week counselors would have their kids grab sleeping bags and together with everyone, instead of sleeping in cabins, would sleep in some random location just for the fun of it.

Madge’s favorite place to sleep out was on the stage of the camphitheater (an amphitheater, but for camp and outside and with benches instead of real seats, obviously). The wood wasn’t the most comfortable but it was better than the gravelly fields at times, and there weren’t any trees around which meant they had the best view of the stars when it wasn’t cloudy. 

The other junior high group had agreed to sleep out with Madge and Finnick’s group, and because Madge knew Delly disliked sleep outs more than anything that it had to have been Gale that agreed. That made her smile. 

After campfire and reflection where groups would talk about how their day went, everyone gathered their things and headed to the camphitheater. It was the perfect night for sleeping out, dry with a light breeze and a clear sky.

The counselors had to lay their sleeping bags down first to create a counselor line, something that prevented the boys and girls from sleeping beside one another (junior high campers liked flirting just as much as Gale did with Madge and the counselor line prevented some really awkward conversations). Madge and Delly laid side by side, as did Finnick and Gale. The boys moved to one side and the girls to the other.

“I’ll tell the story tonight,” Delly told the other counselors. She might not have loved sleeping out, but Delly enjoyed telling stories. “If you don’t mind.”

“All you,” Gale said with a grin.

Once the kids had settled down in their sleeping bags and Delly had started their story, Madge and Gale slowly walked up the rows of the camphitheater and settled on a bench way in the back, far enough away that they could still hear Delly’s voice as she told her story and see the kids, but if they kept quiet no one would hear them.

Madge settled against Gale’s side and he draped his arm over her shoulder. “How’ve they been?” Madge asked, referring to his group. Last time she’d checked in Gale’s kids had been arguing about something stupid and it was really screwing up the group dynamic. “Any better?”

“We did some challenge courses,” Gale told her. Ah, forcing them to work together. “They’re doing better.” 

She smiled. “That’s good.”

“Mmm.” Gale turned and nosed her forehead. His voice was low in her ear. “What about yours?”

“All of the girls are in love with Finnick,” Madge said, causing him to laugh. “But he’s good at being really gross and burping a lot, so they’re staring to get over it.” Tomorrow was Friday anyway, so they’d be leaving soon enough. “They’ve been a good group.”

“Nice to hear.” Madge smiled again and turned to face him. “We get assignments for next week tomorrow,” Gale told her, momentarily causing her smile to flicker. “How do you feel about that?”

“New assignments?” she questioned. Madge shrugged. She wanted something that allowed her to see Gale, sure, but that didn’t always work out. They could have different break schedules, they could be in entirely different  _programs._ It could end up being very difficult. “No way to feel until we see what we get.”

“That’s true, I guess.”

Madge looked away from Gale, back down at their groups on the stage. They were quiet for a moment and Madge turned to lean more against him. They’d only just made their relationship or whatever it was official on Tuesday night. Camp made things seem so much longer, but their  _thing_  had only been real for  _two days_. 

Madge craved Gale in so many ways, and camp got in the way of that sometimes. These quiet moments in the camphitheater weren’t going to happen very often. 

“Tell me a secret,” Madge whispered. She felt him shift, but kept her eyes on their kids. “Anything.” 

Gale was silent for a while following and she wondered if he hadn’t heard her. But then he cleared his throat. “I fucking hate spiders.” A laugh bubbled out of Madge before she could stop it and she looked over at him. “Snakes, or rats, or squirrels, or whatever. They’re fine, I don’t care. But I am  _terrified_  of spiders.”

Madge laughed a little louder. “You can’t be serious.”

“The little ones are fine,” Gale went on. This time  _he_  was the one to direct his eyes back to their kids. “But you know those giant wolf spiders that just appear? Fuck those spiders.” Still, Madge laughed. Camp was known for its giant spiders, and she wasn’t the biggest fan of them either, but she wasn’t  _scared_  of them. Usually she would just smush them with her shoes. “Where do they  _come_  from? God, they’re the worst. And they usually have babies somewhere. Millions of baby wolf spiders.”

“They’re just bugs, Gale.”

“No, they’re Satan’s spawn.” Madge shook her head at him and turned into his chest. “If you kill them they just attract more spiders. I don’t understand. And I fucking hate them.”

“Okay,” she giggled. “What happens when you have campers screaming because they found a giant spider under their bed?”

He rolled his eyes at her. “I kill it. And then I go into the bathroom and wash my hands for like an hour because I feel  _itchy_.” Madge still laughed and now swung her hand up in a mock-hug around his chest. “Stop laughing at me.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I just never figured you were the type.”

“Oh, like you’re not scared of anything,” he muttered.

“Eh.”

“Madge,” Gale poked her side to make her squirm and laughed as she wiggled. “Nothing?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m terrified that one night I’m going to wake up and realize one of my campers is missing. Or someone’s going to drown while I’m life guarding and I’ll completely forget what to do. But of like, creatures? Not really.”

“Fine,” he pressed a kiss to her temple. “You can come to my rescue when giant spiders are in my cabin.”

“Who’s the princess, again?” Madge asked teasingly, causing him to snort again. Madge looked up at Gale and he leaned to kiss her quickly. “I’ll kill your dumb spiders,” she murmured against his mouth. He grinned, kissing her again as her freehand lifted to his cheek. “We should get back down,” she exhaled as they parted.

“Five more minutes,” he whispered back. Madge arched an eyebrow but leaned in another time as he savored his victory. With her hand that was not on his cheek she reached down and very gently moved her fingers up his leg. Gale jumped away from her immediately. “Madge,” he hissed, and she bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. “Don’t  _do_  that.”

“Let’s get back down,” she said as a few giggles burst from her. 

With a grumble Gale kissed her one last time before helping her stand. “I hate you,” he grumbled as they started back down the stairs to the stage. “Now I feel itchy.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

It was Friday night and Madge and Gale were cleaning cabins together. She enjoyed cleaning, it was something she could spend time doing while reflecting on her week, and she had had a pretty good week with Finnick.

Gale left her alone to her thoughts which was really nice. Madge loved working with Finnick, he was a great co-counselor, but he didn’t always know when to stop talking. Gale knew when Madge needed silence, and every once in a while they would look up from their work and smile at one another or mention something from their previous week. 

They had almost finished when they heard the rain, and then a few moments later a crack of lightning. Storms moved quickly on the mountain they worked on and often came out of no where, but after checking her phone Madge realized Haymitch had told them to come to staff meeting early and that it had been moved indoors to the staff lounge due to the storm.

“We should go,” Madge told Gale who agreed wholeheartedly. There was no point in mopping a cabin that was going to be filled with mud soon after. They could mop it later. “You enjoyed your week though, right?” Madge asked as they packed their things.

“It was long,” Gale said, “but good.” Madge pulled on her backpack and looked out the window at the heavy rain. “Delly’s a great co, but I don’t know. They weren’t the group I needed.”

Madge arched an eyebrow at him and hesitated as she reached for the door handle. “What do you mean?”

He sighed and shrugged. “I want that one group,” Gale said. “Those kids that just change your summer. That have a great time. That learn a lot about themselves.” Gale shrugged again. “You know?”

Madge dropped her hand from the bar and turned to him. “You’ll get that group,” she said. “Maybe not next week, but sometime this summer.” Gale nodded in agreement, though he looked hesitant. “You’re a great counselor,” she told him.

He laughed a little. “I know.”

Madge rolled her eyes at him. “I’m trying to be encouraging,” she said as she turned away. Gale strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’d be honored to work with you,” she murmured as he leaned down and nuzzled into her neck.

“Are you flirting with me, Undersee?” he asked, causing her to snort. He kissed her collarbone. “Could you imagine us as cos? We’d fucking kill it.”

“We’d never get to talk,” Madge said with a laugh. She turned to face him again and their noses bumped before he kissed her. “No breaks, no time like  _this_.”

“That would suck,” Gale agreed. “But we would  _kill it_.” Madge laughed again as he kissed her another time. Dating at camp was always complicated, and  _secretly_ dating at camp was even more so. But working with Gale would be… interesting. “We should go,” he murmured and she nodded. She was ready for staff meeting, to find out her assignment for the next week. Madge was hoping for another week with Peeta, they worked incredibly well together, but they’d already been together and the chances were slim. If anything, she didn’t want Marvel or Brutus. Anyone else she could probably handle. Gale licked his lips and leaned in another time before swiftly pulling away. “Let’s go,” he said. 

After another burst of lightning the two grabbed their belongings, Gale pulling on his sweatshirt over his uniform, and started running toward the staff lounge. They were halfway there when Madge stopped to catch her breath. The rain pelted her skin, soaking her to the bone. It was cold summer rain that drenched her entire staff uniform, raindrops clinging to her hair and eyelashes. Madge looked up to the sky as thunder rumbled. 

“Madge!” Gale’s voice was slightly panicked, but mostly curious. “What the  _hell_  are you doing?” There was laughter on the tail end of his sentence. When Madge looked over she found him holding up his hand over his face to block the rain, even with his hood up. “Come on!”

“It feels so  _good_!” Madge yelled back. The week had been hot and sticky, the rain – no matter how cold – was a nice change. 

“It’s  _thunder storming_ ,” Gale shouted back with a smile. “Not just raining!” Madge shrugged in response, opening her arms to twirl in the rain. “Madge!” Gale laughed again and started back toward her. “We’re in the middle of a thunderstorm and you want to stop and feel the rain?” he asked as he stepped closer. “You’re insane,” he murmured before cupping her cheeks and pulling her in for a kiss.

She couldn’t help but smile at the cliche-ness of it all. It split her face and Gale grinned as he pulled away. She laughed before grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the staff lounge. 

They ran the rest of the way with the chill of the rain finally getting to her and arrived in the staff lounge just as a few other counselors did as well. All of them were soaking wet. Gale instantly peeled off his outer layer to reveal his staff uniform not quite as wet as Madge’s.

“I should’ve given you my sweatshirt,” Gale told her as they sat, but she shook her head. She didn’t want things to be too obvious between them, and she didn’t mind being a little wet. “You’re soaking,” Gale said. “You’ll get sick.”

“I’ll be fine,” Madge countered. She reached up to squeeze the water from her hair and moved to sit when Haymitch stopped her. “What?”

“Don’t sit on the couches if you’re wet,” he said. “Meeting’s going to be quick – we can do evaluations at the start of next week.”

Madge and Gale and a few others, Glimmer and Clove and Thom who were all also drenched from the rain, rested in the back of the room. In the staff lounge where there was air conditioning Madge was starting to shiver. Haymitch was sincere though, the staff meeting was short. Thunder rumbled and shook the building they were in but they powered through. 

Finally when they reached assignments Madge looked toward Gale and smiled. “Positive attitude,” she told him. He nodded and together they turned to listen.

But neither of them expected it when Haymitch reached junior high. “We’ve got a Mr. Gale,” he had said, “working with a Miss Madge for the week!” 

Both of them froze, unable to react to their assignment as everyone cheered for them unknowing as to why they were so shocked.


	14. Chapter 14

“We have to tell Haymitch,” Gale said for the third time. He dragged his hands over his face as he paced back and forth by the rocks and Madge stared out into the valley. The rain had storm had passed after the staff meeting and it was increasingly late. Lights twinkled in the valley and Madge thought back to staff meeting when Haymitch had announced she and Gale would be working together the next week. “We can’t do this, Madge. If Haymitch finds out we’re dating  _and_ we’re cos then we’re going to be fucked.”

“We can’t,” Madge told him again. They’d been having this conversation for almost an hour now. “If we tell Haymitch we’re together then he’ll switch who we’re working with, which would be fine, but then people would figure out we’re together and I’m just not ready for that, Gale.”

Gale sighed another time. He stopped pacing and turned to look at her, and slowly she looked back at him. “Why not?” he asked. “Would it be the worst thing?”

“No, it–” Madge exhaled deeply. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’m just not  _ready_.” She’d told him before and she’d tell him again – she wasn’t ready to be in a public camp relationship. People always made it weird and awful and gossipy and so far things with Gale had been  _great_. Adding the drama would ruin her happy bubble. “Gale,” she reached out to him. “Come here.”

He sighed once more and walked over to his girlfriend before lowering himself on the damp rocks with her. She’d changed since staff meeting, out of her wet clothes into something dry, but she still felt a little chilled. Madge grabbed Gale’s hand as he sat beside her. 

“I don’t want to fight this week,” he said. Clearly that had been what was bothering him. “I–fuck, I know I get easily frustrated. And if we’re working together and–I just don’t want to get snappy with you.”

“Then  _don’t_ ,” she murmured. 

Just before actually being assigned together Gale said that he and Madge would be  _great_ co-counselors. Madge agreed. She thinks Gale is superb and she likes to believe she’s a pretty good counselor too. But neither of them ever thought it would really happen. They’re both experienced so the need to put them with less experienced counselors is real. Also she never thought Haymitch would have even considered it – she and Gale seemed so different on the surface. 

“I just want this to be a good week,” he went on.

“And it  _will be_ ,” Madge insisted. How you go into a week often dictated how the week would go. “Gale,” she said softly. “We’re going to celebrate the 4th tomorrow and destress, and then this week is going to be incredible. Okay?”

Gale’s eyes searched hers for a long time trying to find proof in her words before he nodded. “ _You’re_ incredible,” he whispered. “You know that?”

With a laugh she leaned forward and kissed him. “Thank you,” she said against his lips. “You are, too.”

**

It was the first time in a while that the 4th of July fell on a Saturday, meaning everyone on staff had off, and Madge was excited to go see the fireworks at a nearby park. She and Gale had decided to go together when Peeta intercepted her mere hours before.

“What’s going on with you and Gale?” he’d questioned, causing her to pale. “You two have been ITing a lot lately,” he said, “and when Haymitch called your names you looked freaked out.”

“We’re friends,” she said. “It was just a surprise.”

Peeta arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “Delly saw things.” Madge matched his stance and lifted her own eyebrow in a challenge. “Well, she’s not sure what sort of things, but she saw things.”

“Well it’s not what it looks like,” Madge told him. Peeta’s expression changed from  _I know something’s up_  to  _tell me this instant_. “It’s nothing,” Madge tried. But Peeta kept shifting his facial expression to try and get her to say more, and truth be told Madge was struggling not telling her best friend about her and Gale. She’d wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, including Peeta, but he was her  _best friend_. “Maybe.”

“Madge!” Peeta was exasperated. “I’m just going to make assumptions.”

Madge groaned and then coughed to clear her throat. “When I was with Taftan everyone knew it was annoying and obnoxious and it didn’t  _work_ ,” Madge quickly spouted out. “And I want things with Gale to  _work_ , Peeta! I don’t want people to know!”

Peeta was unfazed by Madge’s little confession, but he did look slightly relieved that she opened up. “Well for starters,” Peeta began, “you and Taftan were never going to work, and everyone being annoying only just sped that along.” Madge sighed and rubbed at her eyes. “But you and Gale are  _different_  than you and Taftan.” Again she sighed but this time she finally lifted her eyes from her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked gently.

“I just want it to work,” Madge said again. She coughed another time, her throat just a little sore. “What we have is  _good_  and I’m scared if people know that it’s going to be ruined.”

Peeta reached over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “I won’t tell anyone,” he said. “But–I don’t know, I don’t think you should worry about what other people think.” Madge leaned into his hand. “Katniss and I are going to watch the fireworks tonight,” Peeta said. “You should come with us.”

**

Gale almost refused to go with Peeta and Katniss. He said Madge was so against people knowing that he didn’t understand why there was a sudden change in her. But eventually he caved, murmuring something about how he wanted to tell Katniss about them anyway.

Katniss took to the news with shock but she was good at secrets, and overall she was happy with them.

The sky was clear and Madge and Gale sat in the back of Peeta’s jeep as they drove to the park. Gale reached over and grabbed Madge’s hand. “This is going to be a good week,” he whispered. “Right?”

She laced her fingers with his and nodded, offering a gentle smile. “Yeah,” she said. “It is.” 

He sighed but smiled back, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles. 

And when they watched the fireworks together, Madge nestled against his chest and his arms holding her securely around her waist, she really believed that the week was going to be great. Almost as though Gale was thinking the same thing he dipped down to press a kiss to the side of her face.


	15. Chapter 15

Madge absolutely adored her group. She was nervous about working with Gale but so far he’d been great - and the kids even better. It was a group of eight kids all around the age of 13, and they were incredibly self sufficient. They’d all been coming to camp for years, were all mostly already friends, and all operated like part of a perfect machine. 

Madge just wished that she could be more present with them. She woke up Sunday morning feeling like her brain had been replaced with wet sponges, and her throat was so sore that even breathing was a struggle. Madge kept her sickness to herself, drinking lots of water and coughing away from the group when her throat began to tickle. 

Her illness probably stemmed from when she stopped and stood in the rain – but it was fine. She would be fine. If Gale ever thought something was up he never mentioned it. And because they’d never actually been co-counselors he must not have thought it strange that she wasn’t leading as many things. Gale was a great and natural leader as it was, and Madge liked watching him guide the kids to a better understanding of themselves.

It was Monday night when they had their first real chance to talk about something other than the group. There was an evening activity every Monday - this week was something involving a park ranger talking about the environment - and Haymitch always allowed the co-counselors to step aside and talk about group dynamics for a bit before checking in with them.

“I really love them,” Madge told Gale when they were alone, and his face lit up with a smile so pure it made her heart sing. “I think this might be your group, Gale.”

That one group he’d been wanting, the group that leaves and impact and makes even the counselors feel like better and stronger people. “I think so too,” he admitted. “But we’ll have to see. It is only Monday.”

She nodded in agreement. “They could probably run things without us,” Madge said as she turned to watch their kids. They looked engaged in the presentation that the park ranger was putting on. “We could literally leave them alone in the woods and they’d make it back in under and hour.”

Gale laughed a little. “That is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had,” he said. His face filled with a smile. “I’m in. It can be like a challenge course.” Madge shoved him and he laughed another time. “I’m kidding,” he told her. “But you’re right, we probably  _could_  leave them alone in the woods and they’d be fine.”

Madge looked up at him and smiled. She loved the excitement in his voice and the happiness on his face that it was only Monday night and things were already going so well. He seemed proud and relaxed and perfectly at ease. 

“I told you we can do this,” Madge whispered.

He looked over at her, away from where their group was sitting, and smiled another time. “You’re right. We can.” Gale reached over and grabbed her hand. He seemed nervous, like he wasn’t sure what to say, but rubbed his thumb over her knuckle gently. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Madge went to ask  _for what_  when she swallowed funny, causing her to cough. Gale looked at her in concern, his eyebrows drawing together as he released her hand. “Sorry,” Madge forced out, turning away from him to clear her throat. “Sorry, I’m fine.”

Still he looked concerned. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked. “You’re not allowed to get sick.”

“I’m  _fine_ ,” she said again.

“Have you been drinking enough water?” Gale went on. “You’re known for getting exhausted quickly. Remember when you fainted?” Madge smiled a little as she continued to clear her throat. Gale could pretend like he was big and tough all he wanted when really he was so protective and had such a big heart that it overpowered the persona he wanted to put off. “You have to take care of yourself, Madge.”

“I know, Gale,” she stopped him after her throat had stopped hurting for the moment. “I’m okay. I’ve been drinking plenty of water and I’m taking things easy. Just have a bit of a sore throat. Okay?”

The worry on his face only eased slightly. “Okay.” 

“This is going to be a  _great week_ ,” Madge reminded him, and Gale nodded with another smile. 

Gale was still smiling when Haymitch came to them to talk about their group. They spoke for a few minutes about the few campers that had struggled a little bit but raved on about the successes of their kids even so early on. 

Once Haymitch walked away Gale turned to Madge. He dipped down so close she could feel his breath on her neck. “We can find time this week,” he murmured. “For just the two of us.” Madge felt her chest get hot and could practically feel him smirking. “If you want.” Madge nodded. She did want that. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Good,” she exhaled. “As long as Haymitch doesn’t find out.”

Gale laughed. “Not a chance in hell.” Madge leaned back into him slightly, knowing that it was going to be a good week but also wishing they had  _more time_  to just be together. “Come on,” he tugged her back to the pavilion where the park ranger was presenting. “Let’s get back.”

They walked back to the pavilion side by side before separating, Gale crossing the area to sit on the opposite side of their group while leaving Madge on the closer side by herself. 

 


	16. Chapter 16

They have a sleep-out on Tuesday night.

It’s more than just Madge and Gale’s group, which is really great because that means they have coverage. Also, just like the two of them predicted at the beginning of the week, their kids are awesome. When they lay their things out and put their heads on their pillows they’re out in an instant.

Gale gives Peeta a look that means  _cover for me?_ and Peeta nods with a soft smile. He then leads Madge away from the group and away from the other counselors. The moment they’re alone the best smile Madge has  _ever seen_ fills Gale’s face.

“You were right,” he tells her as he grabs her hands. “This group, these  _kids_ …” Gale trails off overwhelmed with happiness, and that alone causes her to smile too. “They’re the group, Madge. The one I needed.”

“I know,” she whispers. “They’re great.”

He laughs a little. “That doesn’t even  _begin_  to describe it.” Just today Gale had a twenty minute conversation with their kids about the universe, parallel ones and if theirs would converge and what that meant for the space time continuum. “I just can’t even…” he trailed off, then squinted a little. Gale tugged her in his direction. “You don’t seem happy.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean? Of course I’m happy.”

He dropped her hands lightly. “What did I do?”

“Gale,” Madge nudged him with a frown. “You didn’t do anything. You’re a great co, I promise. And these kids are–” she paused to cough. Madge was  _definitely_  developing some sort of throat sickness. She turned away to clear her throat before looking back at him. “They’re perfect,” she finished. 

He frowned, too. “Are you sick?”

“My throat’s just a little sore,” she told him.

His frown deepened. “I told you that you couldn’t get sick this week,” he murmured. “You wear yourself out, Madge. It’s not  _good_.” She rolled her eyes at him – it wasn’t from overworking herself. This sickness, whatever it was, was definitely from the day she decided to stand in the rain for no real reason. “I don’t want a temporary replacement co,” Gale said. “I want  _you_.”

“I’m taking cough drops,” Madge told him. “And DayQuil in the mornings. I’m fine, Gale, I swear.” Still, he didn’t look pleased. “I  _swear_ ,” she said another time. 

Gale reached down and tugged her toward him another time, this time bending down and pressing his lips to her forehead. “You’re warm,” he murmured against her skin, causing her to scoff. “I’ve been loving this week,” Gale said softly. “Being around you…” 

“Mm,” Madge agreed quietly, sliding her arms around his waist. She rested her forehead against his chest. “But I miss this,” she admitted. 

“You don’t have to,” he told her as he toyed with the ends of her hair. Madge peeled away from him and smirked. “If you keep looking at me like that, baby, then we won’t make it to bed,” Gale hummed. He bent down and tilted up her chin with his index finger. “I don’t think the kids’ll notice.”

“Gale,” Madge threw her head back in a laugh, turning away from him before he could lean down. “I don’t want to get you sick too.” 

“That’s cute.” Gale cupped her cheeks again. “But I don’t get sick.” Before she could protest again he kissed her gently. Madge sighed, her hands tightening against his shirt to keep him close. “Also,” he whispered between their lips. “You said you were fine.” 

With a deep sigh she pulled away another time. “I should get some sleep,” she told him. “So I can get better?” 

“Mhm,” Gale agreed, but bent down another time. And Madge, no matter how much she knew she needed sleep, caved again. She lifted her hands to his head and tangled her fingers in his hair. She felt him moan into her mouth, whined when he rolled his hips against hers. Finally, knowing he’s getting carried away, Gale forces his lips from Madge’s and rests his forehead against hers. “I need you to get better,” he whispers. “Take things easy, okay?” 

“Okay,” she whispers back. “I promise.” His thumb brushes her chin and and smiles before stepping backwards. “I’ll go first. Follow in a minute.” Gale nods, allowing Madge to leave him in the woods.

The second she’s out of his sight she starts to cough again, wincing from the pain that fills her chest. But she’s sure a night of sleep is going to make her feel at least a little better, right?


	17. Chapter 17

They’re hiking when she blacks out. 

Madge is leading her and Gale’s campers down the twisty windy path full of loose gravel. She can hear the campers singing loudly ( _BLACK SOCKS, THEY NEVER GET DIRTY!)_ and she can hear Gale’s occasional loud laugh. Without looking over her shoulder she reaches back to the pocket on her backpack for her water bottle, and Madge pulls it up to find it empty. 

With a whine she puts it back into the side pocket. Her throat is killing her. Madge coughs to try and clear her throat but it doesn’t do much. She pauses and the camper behind her, Tally, bumps into her.

“Oof,” Tally murmurs. “Water break  _again_ , Miss Madge?”

“Sorry,” Madge exhales deeply. Coughing, she motions to her camper. “Can you…?”

“Water break!” Tally calls backwards. All of the kids quickly pull out their water bottles and drink greedily. It’s a hot afternoon her sickness isn’t really helping. Madge sniffs loudly, wishing she had tissues considering her nose is clogged with snot, and then coughs another time because there’s gunk in her throat. “You need some water?” Tally asks.

Madge waves her hand at her camper. “I’m okay,” she lies. She doesn’t want to drink from anyone’s water bottle, she doesn’t want to get anyone else sick. “Let’s just keep hiking, we’re almost there.”

Tally nods and Madge turns to start hiking again when she starts coughing another time. Madge holds her hand up to signal they’re not walking yet, but she can’t stop coughing.

She’s coughing. And she’s coughing. And she’s still coughing, so hard that her vision goes hazy and her chest feels as though it’s burning. She can hear Gale’s voice faintly in the distance and she goes to turn and tell him she’s  _okay_  when it goes black.

It all goes black.

**

Madge wakes up in the nurse’s cabin. 

She’s not sure how she got there, considering they were  _literally_  in the middle of a trail last she can remember. The air conditioning that’s whirring loudly makes her shiver, she reaches down to pull up a blanket and rolls onto her side.

Peeta’s on a nearby couch browsing a book. “Peet?” Madge rasps, and he turns instantly. 

Peeta smiles and lowers his book. “You’re awake!”

Madge coughs a few times, lifting her hand to her throat. “What happened?” she asks. She’s unbelievably thirsty. “Where are my campers?”

“They’re with Gale,” Peeta answers. He pushes himself from the couch she’s on and walks over to Madge as she sits up. He perches on the edge of her bed and reaches over, resting his hand on her leg. “They’re fine. You weren’t too far from the road when you passed out. Haymitch got a truck down there.”

Madge wonders why she’s not in the hospital. Doesn’t passing out sort of scare people? Her head is still swimming. “Water,” Madge croaks, and Peeta quickly goes to get her some.

“Anyway, you kept going in and out. Talking about being sick, said your head was mushy. They brought you here, the nurse said you were fine. That you just needed sleep.”

Madge thinks hard. She can remember bits and pieces. The green of the trees above her. Lots of campers eyes focused on her. Gale’s voice rough and gravely and full of fear, “ _If you die, I’m gonna kill you_.” The honk of a horn. Sweaty hands helping her stand. Someone buckling her seat belt for her. 

Madge huffs. She still probably should have gone to a real doctor. “Medicine?” she asks.

“Ah, over here.” Peeta hands off the water to her and then goes to grab the medicine that the nurse left out before leaving for dinner. “I’m going to call Haymitch, let him know you’re up.” Madge curls onto her side and nods her head. “Get some more rest.”

**

When Madge wakes up again it’s because someone’s gently rubbing her ankle bone. She blinks a few times and turns to find Gale sitting on the edge of the bed where Peeta had been earlier. 

“Hey,” he forces out. She forces a quick smile but she still doesn’t feel any better. Gale doesn’t even try to smile. “You lied to me,” he rasps. He’s not angry. His voice is  _filled_  with sadness. “You told me you were okay. You  _lied_ to me.”

“You knew I was sick,” she counters weakly. 

“Not  _that_ sick,” he nearly snaps. With his free hand Gale lifts his hand and drags it through his hair, turning to look away from her. “Jesus Christ, Madge!”

“I didn’t  _plan_  for that,” she croaks back. “You think I wanted that? You were telling me how happy you were to be cos with me, how you didn’t want someone to replace me!” Gale turns away from her completely now, rubbing his face with both hands. “Now I’ve gone and ruined it!”

“No,  _fuck_ ,” Gale looks at her again. “That’s not–it’s not your fault.” He reaches for her another time. “It–God, it sounds like  _my_  fault.” 

“It’s–it’s no one’s fault, Gale.” She sits up and reaches down by the side of the bed for her water bottle that Peeta filled up for her earlier. “You’re on night break?” Madge asks before drinking some water. Gale nods. “How’re the kids?”

“Worried,” Gale mutters. “But still performing.”

Madge clears her throat as she lowers her water bottle. “They’re still your group,” she says. “The good one.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “They’re  _our_  group.” Gale sighs, reaching for her ankle another time. They sit quietly for a moment before Gale says anything else. “Haymitch knows. About you and me.” Madge tenses up and waits for him to continue, but he doesn’t.

“How?”

“You fainted in the middle of the woods,” Gale tells her. “I panicked. It came out as I was helping carry you to his truck.” He wrinkles his nose and keeps his eyes on the ground. “I’m sorry,” Gale goes on. “I know you… I know you wanted it kept quiet.”

“Stop, it’s okay.”

“That was the one thing you wanted, that people didn’t know. Especially Haymitch. And I fucked it up.” 

“ _Stop_ ,” Madge says again. She sits up completely now and grabs his hand. “Is he mad?”

“Annoyed, I think, but more worried about you than anything.”

Madge nods, running her thumbs over Gale’s knuckles. “We’ll make it work, then.” She leans onto his side and Gale sighs, shifting so he can drape his arm around her shoulder. “I’m feeling a little better,” she tells him. “If that helps.”

“Not really.”

Madge laughs and looks up to find a weak smile on his face. “We’ll figure it out,” she says quietly, and he nods in agreement. “Haymitch is taking me to Urgent Care first thing in the morning. I’ll talk to him then. And best case scenario – I’m back with the group by lunch.”

“I’d even be okay with dinner,” Gale murmurs. He turns and bends down, quickly pressing his lips to her forehead. “I’ve got Leevy as my temp co and she’s driving me up the wall,” he murmurs against her skin, causing Madge to laugh again. Neither of them talk about how she might not even be able to rejoin their group depending on how sick she is or what Haymitch thinks is appropriate. Gale pulls back and smiles another time, better than before. “I’m going to let you rest,” he says. “But you have to get better.”

“Working on it.” 

Gale kisses her forehead again and she squeezes his hand before he stands.

“Goodnight,” Gale says softly before tipping his head at her. Madge smiles and curls back down into bed and closes her eyes, willing herself to get better for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is where I stopped writing two years ago, but I might (eventually) (and only might) write like, a conclusive end?? but if not - they live happily ever after, thank you and goodnight


End file.
